


happy birthday

by Balthuza



Category: Shards of the Sun
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, so many characters so little time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 12:56:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10764696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Balthuza/pseuds/Balthuza





	happy birthday

Flick doesn’t realise anything is wrong before after she finishes her letter and wants to get up. Steffit is there as soon as she calls him, but there’s nothing he can do.

On the eve of her twentieth birthdays Flick says goodbye to Buba, and spends the night crying in her parent’s bed, as if she was still a child.

~

The first birthdays after the wedding are bittersweet. When the door admit another guests and they’re not his parents, Steffit can’t help the slight disappointment. Then Gin is here, her hand in his, and he knows he would not change a thing.

~

Nil loves parties and the first weeks of the year are his favourite. The party starts with Flick, goes through Steffit and ends with Nil, and he just can’t ever stop himself from commenting that the best is always left for the end.

~

As long as she remembers, Fulozara’s birthday was marked by the gift left in her room, maybe a party, if her parents deemed to have time. The enormous room, all glittering and full of beautiful furniture is empty, but for her and three maids, who sing her happy birthday in the morning, and she tells herself it’s good enough.

~

Rodhlann still remembers celebrating birthdays with his parents. He remembers being all alone for so long after they were gone, and no one cared where their child went. 

The first birthday he spends in the temple is not perfect, but it is enough.

~

The decorations are gold and deep blue. She knows it even if she can’t see the colors. Still, the contrast of light and dark is pleasing enough.

This is the first time Steffit agreed to accompany her openly, just for the company alone, and gin can’t help but smile, almost giddy with excitement.

~

The tavern belonged to her parents as long as Hari can remember. They’ve always lived right above it and drunken songs used to lull her to sleep every night. She hated when the tap room filled with strangers, instead of locals. 

The locals knew better than to start anything. Strangers always caused trouble for every coin they’ve spent. 

Hari has no patience for unwashed bastards of some lord or another, who thinks that every female will gladly fall into his hands and for the unwanted hands on her body she responds with a hook to his jaw, strong enough to bring him down a peg, literally.

In the commotion that follows, by the time she manages to free herself, her wrist is crushed and she knows she conscious only because the shock blocks the pain, for now. The lordling loses his head before the dawn comes, and it’s only by a struck of luck that they manage to hold onto the tavern at all after all this.

There’s nothing to be done for her hand, and sometimes, in the deep of the night, she wonders if it was worth it. For her birthday she gets a hook, shark enough to cut through a line, or a sinew, like a knife, and she just laughs. 

~

Twiffle rarely regrets moving away from Nimbohr. Of course he misses his parents and his siblings, but Emberworth suits him better than the mountains and the snow ever did. Here, he is happiest he’s ever been. The moment he reaches the correct pier, the ship is there - all dark wood and dark sails, still without a name, but almost ready to swim out.

The workers on the deck call to him and he wonders between them.

He couldn’t wait for his birthday. This is the very best gift his grandparents had ever thought of.

~

Berily knows perfectly well that most of her problems take root in her lack of ability to stop and  _ think _ for a second.

When she finds, miraculously, another catch with some money and a lot of food, some new clothes and trinkets, all tied with a blue ribbon, she thanks Garl that her mother does not share that trait.

Berily knows she’s close, closer than she’s ever been to finding out who decided to frame her. 

There will be time for celebrations later.

~

After Grifaris wakes up and counts the days, he realizes just how long he’s been here already. Here, surrounded by people that at the very least tolerate him, it may just be the best birthday he’s ever had.

Later, with the Keeper’s skin smooth and hot under his fingers, he’s absolutely certain this is the best birthday he’s ever had.

~

There are candles in his mother’s hand.

Somehow it’s all he can see. They’re red.

He’s not sure if it is their natural color, or if it’s the blood.

There’s a noise outside, and by now the Keeper knows better than to try and explain things.

He runs. 


End file.
